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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "Various Artists," and I have a few great options for Black History Month, though I've already used a few of them during CoronaVinyl. One that I haven't yet featured is the 1973 compilation called Soul Train Hall of Fame. The cover says, "Don Cornelius picks 22 of the greatest soul hits of all time," so you can bet your last money, it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, Soul Train was a decades-long music/dance program that predominantly featured African-American artists. It started as a local show in Chicago in the late '60s, created by Don Cornelius, who also served as the host of the show until 1993. Soul Train went into national syndication in 1971 and ran until 2006. With over 1,100 shows, it held the distinction of being the longest-running first-run nationally syndicated show in American TV history until Entertainment Tonight passed it in 2016.
The album is excellent, featuring 22 classic soul songs from the '50s through the early '70s, stretching from doo wop to the beginnings of funk, by some of the biggest names in soul history, like James Brown, Otis Redding, Sly & The Family Stone, The Isley Brothers, Sam & Dave, Ike & Tina Turner, and Gladys Knight & The Pips, as well as some great songs from one- or two-hit wonders.
The album isn't on Spotify, but someone made a Spotify playlist with 18 of the 22 songs on the album, so I posted that below (though the version of Freda Payne's "Band of Gold" on the playlist is a re-recorded version). Meanwhile, for your own edification, here is the full track listing, along with the year the song was originally released, its peak position on the Billboard Hot 100 (if applicable), and its position on the Billboard R&B singles chart (if applicable). Also, the bolded songs are by members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Side 1
1. "Love is Strange" by Mickey & Silvia (1956, #11, #1)
2. "Love On a Two Way Street" by The Moments (1970, #3, #1)
3. "Band of Gold" by Freda Payne (1970, #3, #20)
4. "Give Me Just a Little More Time" by Chairmen of the Board (1970, #3, #8)
5. "Want Ads" by Honey Cone (1971, #1, #1)
6. "Proud Mary" by Ike & Tina Turner (1970, #4, #5)
7. "It's Your Thing" by The Isley Brothers (1969, #2, #1)
8. "O-o-h Child" by The Five Stairsteps (1970, #8, #14)
9. "Clean Up Woman" by Betty Wright (1971, #6, #2)
10. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding (1968, #1, #1)
11. "Hold On, I'm Comin'" by Sam & Dave (1966, #21, #1)
Side 2
1. "I Can't Stop Dancing" by Archie Bell & The Drells (1968, #9, #5)
2. "Daddy's Home" by Shep & The Limelites (1961, #2, N/A)
3. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers (1956, #6, #1)
4. "Oh Happy Day" by Edwin Hawkins Singers (1968, #4, #2)
5. "Everyday People" by Sly & The Family Stone (1968, #1, #1)
6. "Hello, Stranger" by Barbara Lewis (1963, #3, #1)
7. "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" by James Brown (1965, #8, #1)
8. "Drowning in the Sea of Love" by Joe Simon (1971, #11, #3)
9. "La-La (Means I Love You)" by The Delfonics (1968, #4, #2)
10. "Every Beat of My Heart" by Gladys Knight & The Pips (1961, #6, #1)
11. "Patches" by Clarence Carter (1970, #4, #2)
Choosing a favorite from each side was a tough task, as both sides have five or six songs that I really love. Side 1 alone probably has four of my ten favorite soul songs of all time.
"Patches" is another one of my favorite soul songs, originally by Chairmen of the Board, but covered by blind blues/soul musician Clarence Carter, who slays it. It's the hardluck story of a poor young boy nicknamed Patches whose dad dies when he's 13, so then he has to become the man of the house. He has to do all the chores, work the fields, and chop wood before and after school, driven by the dying words of his father: "Patches, I'm depending on you son / I tried to do my best / It's up to you to do the rest." It won the 1971 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.
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